Apparatus foe- storing and handling pulverized fuel



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APPLICATION man OCT. a. 1918 Patented July 1, 1919.

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1,808,36. Patented. July 1, 1919.

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APPARATUS FOR STORING AND HANDLING PULVERIZED FUEL. APPLICATION FILED 0cT.3.191s.

1 8,36 Patented'luly 1, 1919.

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WILLIAM ORAN nnnmn, or ORAJDELL, NEW JERSEY, AssIenoE 'ro antenna FURNACE SPECIALTIES co. Inc, A CORPORATION on NEW YonK.

APPARATUS FOR STORING AND HANDLING P'Il'LVERIZED FUEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 1, 1919.

Application filed October s, 1913. Serial No. 256,780.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILLIAM O. RENKIN,

a citizen ofthe United States of America, residing at Oradell, county of Bergen, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Storing and Handling Pulverized Fuel, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relatesto that-form of powdered coal apparatus in which the coal is transported and fed to the furnaces by means of compressed air and consists of improved mechanism for so transporting and storing the material. While capable of general use, my invention is especially adapted for use on shipboard.

'lln apparatus of this character the coal, which has been ground to an almostimpalpable powderand preferably should be kept absolutely dry, is necessarily stored in closed airtight bins and transferred from them to the furnaces through continuous, airtight conduits. The powdered coal must be dry when it reaches the controller by which it is blown'into the combustion chamber,

as otherwise it will cake and form lumps and lose that finely divided condition which is necessary in order that it may be intiiuately and uniformly mixed with the combustion supporting air to practically form a combustible gas. Even if itwere possible to maintain thisdegree of dryness While the coal is exposed to the atmosphere in plants situated on land, it would be obviously impossible to do this at sea, and therefore the compressed air system of transportation to which my invention relates is practically an essential element in all marine installations.

from the drying an milling plant through closed conduits to closed, air-tight storage bins, and then from these bins through similar conduits to the bin at the furnace as the demandsof consumption occur. A storage bin of such height will permit of its being erected between decks cannot be made of more than a certain proportional diameter,

and still be on able of evacuation by compressed air, onsequently a considerable number of relatively small bins are needed to hold a ships supply of coal, and a maze of conduits would be necessary to fill and discharge all these bins if each bin had its charging and discharging operations.

The best form of apparatus embodying my invention at present known to me is illustrated in the accompanying three sheets of drawings in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a portion of a ships hull with my invention installed therein. I

Fig.2 is a. vertical cross section on a larger scale taken on line 22 of Fig. 1. parts being broken away.

Fig. 3 is a similar detail side elevation of two of the storage bins and connections. parts being broken away.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6, are detail cross sections of some of the multi-ported conduit con-- trolling valves showing their diiferent operative positions.

Throughout the drawings like reference characters indicate like parts. 1, represents conventionally a crushing, milling and drying plant In an installation for a large board, as indicated in the drawing. In ordinary cases, however, where a ship plied 'regularlv between certain ports, such plant 1 would be installed on a dock at one or more of the ports and the mill end of conduit stem 9, on the ship would be attached to the delivery end of the plant when the ship came into port for coaling. .If the millingpl'ant were on shipboard the .raw coal would usuallybe fed to it while the-ship was in port and the coal milled and storedin severai series of bins 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, ready for use. If the milling plant were on the dock this milling and storing would be done in the same way while the ship was tied up to that dock and its conduit system connected to the milling plant. 2, is the furnace bin, under which are the controllers not shown) by which the powdered coal is fed to the. ships furnaces. In either case there would be a set of air compressors diagrammatically represented at 41, located on the ship and connected by pipe 40, to the milling plant (if there were one on board) and to conduit sections 11 and 12, by pi es 45 and 46, to supply compressed air or charging and discharging all bins, supply tanks, etc. These pipes 40, 45 and 46, would be controlled by ordinary valves not shown. 42 is an air supply pipe for the compressors which preferably leads through an air drier -13, of any suitable construction so as to prevent the accumulation of moisture which might be deposited in the storage bins from the streams of damp air otherwise passing through them in the operation of the apparatus at sea. 10, is the furnace end or stem of the conduit,- and intermediately of these ends 9 and 10,'the conduit is divided into two or more sections each of which serves a series of bins, which series are disposed symmetrically with reference to the ships keel so as to trim ship when all series are loaded, as ,well as when equal portions of opposite series are discharged. As shown, there are two series of bins, one 3, 5 and 7 on the starboard side of the ship served by conduit section 11, whilethe other series 4,

'6 and 8, on the port side, are served by conduit section 12.- Atthe mill end junction of these sections with the conduit stem 9, there is a switch valve 13, and at the junction with the furnace end there is another switch valve 14.

Each storage bin is served by a multipoited valve, those on the starboard side being indicated at 15, 17, 19, and those on the port side at*1'6, 18, 20. These valves connect the conduit sections with their corresponding storage bins, and also control the vent pipes for the bins in a manner hereinafter described.

21, represents the ships hull, 22, the deck, and 23, any convenient form of air-tight manhole cover installed flush with the decks, one over each bin, the tops of the bins being open and making air-tight joints with the under surface of the deck. 24, 24, are vertical partitions, orv wide fins on the ships ribs, extending between and outside of the storage bins and connected to them by flanges 25, 25, to form coal pockets 44, 44, between the bins and the skin of the ship. These can be filled with water or fuel oil to serve the double purpose of additional mosses bin. During the charging of any of the storage bins or of the furnace bin 2, it is necessary to vent the bin being charged. This is accomplished through the usual vent opening 28, on the cyclone separator on the furnace bin 2, and the vent pipes 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 and 3-1, connecting the furnace bin and the storage bins through one another and through their multiple valves. 47, is the joint vent pipe emptying into furnace bin 2, and discharging through vent 28.

The construction of these valves is shown more in detail in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, where 35 is the valve plug cored out to form the bypass and vent passage 37, the charging and discharging passage 38, and. the discharging air passage 39. The valve ports formed by the ends of these passages register when the .valve is in certain positions with the various ports in the multi-portcd valve casing 36, to which the conduit sections and branches and vent pipes are permanently connected. I

I have shown in the drawings, three storage bins in series on each side of the ship, this being sui'iicient to illustrate all phases of operation of the system. In practice there would be many more bins in each series and there might be morethan two series. As indicated in the drawings, the middle bin 5, of the starboard series is being charged from the milling plant and the end bin 8, of the port series is being discharged into the furnace bin 2.

As shown in Fig. 4, the two ports 37 and 37 of by-pass and vent passage 37 are 160 degrees apart, and the conduit ports 11", and 11 in the valve casing 36, are accordingly also 160 degrees apart, so that one end of each conduit section 11 or 12, must be curved to connect with its port 11 or 12 which is 20 degrees above or below the end of a horizontal diameter of the valve when the other port 11 or 12 is on such horizontal diameter. having reference to the sections of the valves shown in Figs. .4 and 1. Reading clockwise from valve port 37 of valye 15, as shown on an enlarged scale in Fig. '4, the distances to the other ports in angular degrees are: to charge and discharge port 38, 40 degrees; from this port 38 to charge and discharge port 38, 80 degrees; from this port 38 to y-pass and vent port 37 40 degrees; from this port 37 to discharging air passage port 39*, 40 degrees; from this port 39 to the other discharging air port 39*, 80 degrees; and from this port 39 back to by-pass port 37', 80 degrees. The same is true of all the other starboard valves (see Figs. 1 and 5). In valves 4, 6 and 8 and all valves on the port side the same readings would be made counterclockwise. v

The valve casing ports are also spaced 40 and 80 degrees apart in angular distance, but the intervals are not in the same order,

so that in each position one or two of the valve passages are blanked oll'. Reading in the same manner on Fig. 4, from conduit port 11*, the distance to discharge port 27, is 80 degrees; from that to vent port 29, it isv40 degrees; from that to conduit port 1'1 it is 40 degrees; from that to discharge air port 26, it is 80 degrees; from that to ventv port 29 it is 40 degrees and from that back to conduit portll", it is 80 degrees. The same. is true of all valves on the starboard side and all valves on the port side. a In valves 4, 6 and 8, these casing ports would be similarly spaced, reading in a counterclockwise direction.

As a result of this port spacing, when any valve, as 15, is in the position shown in Fig. 4, the bypass passage 37, registers with the ports 11 and '11 of the conduit section 11,

will have been turned to register with casing ports 31 and-3l and vent pipe 31 between bins 5 and 7 will have thereby been opened. If valve 19, has been similarly adjusted a vent passageis also opened through bin 7,

and vent pipe 33 from it to furnace bin 2, andvent opening 28 therein. At the same time the charging and discharging passage 38, of valve 17., has been brought into regis ter with port 11 of conduit 11, as shown in Fig. 5, and with port 26 of'the charging.

' branch 26, tobin 5, while the remaining valve passage 39, isblanked oil. Consequently it compressed air from compressor,

- 41, passing through pi e 40, drives powdered coal through con uit-9, switch valve 13-, conduit section 11, and conduit valve 15 to valve 17 from the milling lant 1, it will be fed into bin 5, where it Wlll collect in a body on account of its greater specific gravityfwhile the spent air will pass on and escape through the open vent passages traced above. In this manner each storage bin in any series may be charged by placing its valve and all valves between it and the furnace bin 2, in the charging and venting position shown in Fig. 5, and all valves between it and the mill-end 9, of the con ".duit in the conduit by-pass position of Fig. 4.

1n the case or valves 4, 6 and 8, the adj ustments to secure the above stated results would be the same as above described, in degrees, but in a counterclockwise direction. If, however, the valve of any storage bin, as 'valve 20, of bin 8, be turned back 40 degrees from the conduit by-pass position first described above, or 160 degrees back from the charging and venting position last above described, to the position shown in Fig. 6, the port 27*,of discharge branch 27, leading to bin 8 and the port 12 of conduit section 12, will be caused to register with charging and discharging passage 38, and

discharge air passage 39 will register with conduit port 12' and port 26 of bin charging branch 26, while )ort 37 of by-pass )as sage 37, is blanked'o Consequently, it the valves 16 and 18, at bins 4 and 6 between this valve 10 at bin 8 and the mill end of the conduit are'placed in the conduit by-pass position first above described (correspondlng to Fig. 4 turned upside down) and com.

pressed air is delivered from compressor 41, through pipe 46 to conduit section 12, it will enter bin 8 through passage 39, and branch 26, and discharge the coal therein through branch 27, passage 38, port 12", and the remainder of conduit section 12, to the furnace bin 2, the conduit switch valves 13, and 14, being in the positions shown in Fig. 1, so that the furnace end of the conduit section 12, is open and the mill or supply end closed.

It is understood of course that conduit branches 26, for delivery of coal and air, or

an alone, open into the top of each storage bin, as do the vent pipes also, while the bindischargmg conduit branches 27, extend nearly to the bottoms of the bins, so that when the vent pipe is closed and pressure is built up in any bin by entry at its top of compressed air through its branch connection 26, the contents of the bin will be driven down and then up and out through the discharge branch 27.

The multi-ported valves 15. to 20, being located on top of the bins, and under the deck, they cannot easily be reached for manual operation, and as they are reasonably hard to turn I prefer to employ compressed air pressure for this purpose, exerted through some such mechanism as is shown in Figs. 2 and .3. In said figures of drawing 51 is a grooved sheave on the spindle of the valve; 52, is a, .cord running around sheave 51, and guide'sheaves 53, 53, and connected at its ends to the piston rod 50, projecting through the heads of compressed air cylinder54. Compressed air is delivered to either end of cylinder 54, and exhausted from the other end through pipe 5 controlled by hand valve 56. As the piston moves up or down the valve will be rotated in one direction or the other. The parts are so proportioned that when the piston goes up to the limit of its travel the valve will be turned into the charging and venting position corresponding to Fig. 5. When the piston is at the downward limit of its travel the valve will be in the discharging position corresponding to that indicated in Fig. 6. The necessary exact adjustments to secure these results can be made by manipulating the turn buckles 57, 57. To stop the valve accurately in the intermediate, or conduit by-passing position corresponding to Fig. 4, I employ the manually removable and automatically returning stop 58, which comprises a swinging lever, the lower end of which tends to rest against the piston rod and strike lower turn buckle 57, as the piston rises in cylinder 54, and stop the piston, cord and valve in the proper position to leave the valve in the intermediate, or bypass position shown in Fig. 4. The general mode of operation of my invention then is as follows: The milling plant being in operation, or other source of supply being connected to conduit stem 9, the switch valve 13, is turned so as to connect it with that conduit section 11 or 12,

which serves the bin series most needing replenishment. Assuming that this is the starboardset, 3, 5, 7, the valve for the bin which is empty and nearest the supply end is put in charging and venting position (shown in Fig. 5) and the intervening valves along conduit section 11, between this bin and the furnace bin are put in the same position to connect the bin with vent opening 28.

. The valves between the 'binto be charged and the source of supply are turned into the conduit by-pass position corresponding to Fig. 4c, and air from compressor 41, through pipe 40, forces powdered coal from the milling plant through conduit sections and valves to the proper-bin, where it is deposited, while the spent air passes on to vent 28. After the bin is filled it's valve is turned .to conduit by-pass position and the coal goes forward to the next bin, if that requires filling. If all bins in that series are full, the valves are put in either discharge or by-pass position and left there till the operator is ready to discharge that series and switch valve 13 is turned to connect with conduit section 12. These valve movements into charging position are efi'ecte'd by the operator swingmgstop 58, 'out of the way and manipulating air valve 56, so as to raise piston rod 50, to its highest position, After the bin has been charged, and the valve is turned back to conduit by-pass position, the

. stopi58, swings automatically into vertical and operative position, which is shown infull lines in Fig, 3, and the valve can only be moved thereafter from by-pass position to discharge position, which two positions are the only ones required while that series of bins are on discharge. The valves would usually first be manipulated by an operator coming from the milling or supply station.

said operator going along the bins, opening the manholes and measuring the amount of coal in each, pulling the stop 58 aside and aeoaeee setting each valve at charge and vent, and then returning to the supply station. After returning to the supply station and sending as much coal to the nearest bin as his record showed it required, he would then return to the bin and turn the valve till the removable stop 58, swung back into place over the lower turn buckle, set the turn buckle up against said stop (which would leave the valve in'conduit by-pass position), return to the supply station, send out enough coal to fill the next bin in that series, repeat the above described operations, and so on till all the bins in the series were charged.

In the meantime, the fireman could be drawing from the other or port series (bins 4, 6 and 8) by connecting its conduit section 12, with the furnace bin through switch valve 14, and furnace end or stem 10, of the conduit, and placing one bin valve after another in discharge position, leaving all others of that series in conduit by-pass position, and delivering the necessary compressed air from the compressor directly into the su ply end of that conduit section 12, throug pipe 46. The valves of all binsexcept the one being discharged being in the bypass position, the compressed air passes through conduit seetion 12, directly to the bin being discharged and forces the coal out of it into the conduit section on the other side of the bin, through which it has free passage to the furnace bin. The valve for each storage bin can be moved from by-pass to discharge position and back again by only that. limited movement of the piston 50, of the compressed air cylinder 54, serving the bin, which is "permitted by the swinging or removable stop 58, when in the operative position shown in full lines. When the storage bins are being charged,the charging p- 4 erator, who is always a skilled man, will disable these stops by pushing them to one side, while the piston is raised the full limit of the travel possible, so as to swing the conduit valve into the charging position. After each bin is charged and itsxconduit valve is returned to by-pass or discharge position,

7 this stop 58 automatically swings into place as shown in full lines and prevents the less skilled operatives, who would manipulate the apparatus at sea at all times of day and night for the purpose of discharging the bins, from accidentally throwing any of the valves into charging position-or stopping a valve in an improper midway position. With this stop in position all the fireman has to do is to admit air to cylinder 54, and throw the iston one way or the other as far as it wiil go.

storage bin after another into his urnace bin, as the fuel was required. He would do this by simply swinging the valve for that bin into discharge position, and turning the The fireman would thus dischar e one I air from the compressor into the conduit section (as through pipe 46), the other valves of that series of bins being in by-pass position. Afterany storage bin was so discharged its valve would be turned back to by-passposition, and, as before explained, stop 58 would prevent said valve being put in any position other than one of these two.

The advantages of my invention comprise the small number of conduits and valves needed to charge and discharge a large number of storage bins, and the symmetrical arrangement of bins, by which the proper trim pressed air, the combination of two series of closed'storage bins, a consumption apparatus to which the contents of all the bins are to be delivered, one compressed air main for each series of bins, connected together at their outlet ends, branches from each main to the individual members of its series of bins "and a delivery conduit connectedto one end of each of the mains with the consumption apparatus, together with a switch.

valve located at said junction point, means for forcing the material into and through the mains, and multi-ported valves at the branch junctions by which material may be charged from the main into the adjacent bin,

discharged from the bin to the main, or forbin, i 2. A combination such asset out in claim 1, in which the means for forcing the material into the mains comprise a common supply conduit joined to the inlet ends of the mains, and a switchvalve located at said junction point.

warded through the main, by-pass'ing the 3. In an apparatus of the eharacter'herein described the combinationof a series of closed storage bins, aco nbined charging and discharging conduit extending along the series of bins, charging and discharging branches from the conduit to each bin,

and a valve for each bin adapted to connect.

the main with the charging branch,-or with the discharging branch, or to close both branches and open a by-pass through the main at that point.

4. in an apparatus of thecharacterherein described the combination of a series of closed storage bins, a conduit, a bin charging branch therefrom to each bin, abin dischargin}; branch thereto from each bin, a vent pipe from eachibin, and a valve for each bin adapted to connect the main conduit with the charging branch and simultaneously open the vent, or to connect the main conduit with the charging branch and simultaneously open the dischargingbranchwhile closing the vent.

5. A combination such as set out in claim 4:, in which the valve is also adapted to close all branches and the vent pipe and leave the main conduit-open continuously through the'valve.

6. In an apparatus of the character herein described the combination of a series of closed storage bins and a furnace bin to be supplied therefrom and equipped with a vent opening for spent air, a conduit extending along the series of storage bins to the furnace bin, means for forcing compressed air and powdered materials through said conduit, vent pipes connecting the upper portions of all the bins, connections from the conduit to each of the storage bins, and a valve for, each storage bin controlling pas sage through the vent pipe, the main conduit and the bin connections, whereby material may be forced through the conduit and charged into any one storage bin, the vent pipes being opened from that bin to the furnace bin through intervenin bins, or compressed air alone may be delivered through the conduit to any one bin and a discharge passage for the contents thereof opened through the remainder of the conduit to the furnace bin.

7. l [n an apparatus of the character herein described, the combination, with a closed storage bin, a combined supply and discharge conduit therefor and connecting branches from conduit to bin, of a valve controlling passage through the conduit and branches which in one position opens the passages for charging the bin ,,from one portion of the conduit, in a second position opens the passagesfor dischargingthe bin, to the remaining portion of the conduit, and in a third position opens up through connection between the two portions of the conduit, closldd nedtion from that end of the conduit to the bin and from the bin to the other end of the conduit while closing the vent, and in a third position opens direct connection between the two ends of the conduit while closing all bin connections. V

9. A combination such as set out in claim 7, in which the third described valve position is intermediate of the other two, and in i which the valve is provided with fixed stops preventing movement be ond the first and second positions, and wit a removable stop preventing movement beyond the intermediate position, whereby when said stop is re moved the valve may be" placed in either charging or discharging position, but when said stop is in place, the valve can only be stops preventing movement beyond the first and second positions, and with a manually removable stop provided with means 'for automatically returning it to operative position in which it prevents movement beyond the intermediate position, whereby when said stop is removed the valve may be placed in either charging or discharging position, but

when said stop is released it returns automatically to a position such that the valve can, only be moved to either discharge or by-pass positions.

11. A combination such as set out in claim 8, in which the valve has three separate passages through it terminating in ports which are separated one from another by angles of i0, 80, 40, 40, and 80 degrees respectively, reading consecutively in one direction, while its casing has ports which are separated one from another by angles of 80, 40, 40, 80, 4:0 and 80 degrees respecti 'ely, reading consecutively in the same direction.

12, A combination such as set forth in claim 8, in which the first and second valve positions are separated by an angle of 160 degrees, and the third position is separated from the second by an angle of 40 degrees and from the first by an angle of de' grees.

WILLIAM ORAN RENKIN. 

